Spiced clarified butter or Niter kibbeh

If you have ever had Ethiopian or Eritrean cuisine and wondered about the fantastic aroma that envelops you as you enter the restaurant and what the delicious signature flavour is, it is nitro kibbeh. Niter kibbeh is a spiced ghee that is the basis for seasoning Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine. Soft and rich, this condiment adds layers of irresistible, subtle flavours.

In the US, I would purchase this product from Brundo Spices. They make the best-flavoured nitre kibbeh I have tried. However, it is not available in India, so here is a recipe for all of us home chefs who want to enjoy authentic Ethiopian or Eritrean cuisine.

I was looking through my library for a recipe and came across two recipes that had minor differences. Usually, I choose a recipe, but here, I decided to combine the two recipes. Additionally, we have access to some delicious organic ghee in India, so I decided to use ghee as the starting point rather than butter. This change allowed me not to worry about burning the butter's proteins but to focus on getting the spice flavours correct. The only difficult step in this recipe is to be patient. Slow cooking the ghee allows the herbs and spices time to develop their flavours, and you do not want to burn the oil.

The niter kibbeh came out delicate and aromatic, with spices' tones and notes. The next step is to cook an excellent Ethiopian meal.

Marcus Samuelsson's cookbook is the original bible of African cuisine, having won virtually every cookbook award available. Packed with recipes from across the continent, this cookbook is filled with wonderful, authentic recipes. To me, this book is not just a collection of outstanding recipes, but a chef's love of his culture and origins. For those unfamiliar with the chef, he was adopted by Swedish parents from Ethiopia. He pursued a culinary career, focusing on the cuisine of his origins.

For more recipes from this amazing cookbook, click here.

This Ethiopian cookbook is filled with traditional recipes that delight the palate. Yohanis Gebreyesus has trained in some of the best French culinary schools in the world and, after working in California, moved back to his home country to start his restaurant. His mission is to bring Ethiopian cuisine to the world, and this book is just that. It is filled with the standard traditional recipes and some newer recipes from his family. This is an excellent cookbook for those who want to experience and learn about Ethiopian cuisine at home.

For more recipes from the lovely cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

1 lb butter or ghee (organic is strongly preferred)

1/2 onion, finely minced

1 large garlic clove, finely minced

1 teaspoon ginger paste

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cardamom seeds

1 teaspoon nigella (kalonji) seeds

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

8-10 Thai (or regular) basil leaves

Heat the butter on low heat, adding all the herbs and spices. Cook on a very low flame for 30 minutes. Stir the mix as often as possible and watch that it does not burn. You should cook this on a very low flame, as the butter or ghee has a very low melting point. Cooking on high heat will darken the ghee and burn the spices.

Strain through a very fine metal mesh strainer lined with fine muslin cloth for a clearer liquid. If you use only a metal strainer, the very small particulate matter from the powders may get through; this is not a problem except visually.

It can be stored in an air-tight glass container in the fridge for months.